BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he’s staying “cool” against captious individual comments made by Elon Musk but finds it worrying that nan U.S. billionaire makes nan effort to get progressive successful a wide predetermination by endorsing nan far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Scholz was reacting aft Musk, a adjacent state to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, called nan chancellor a “fool” aft his conjugation authorities collapsed successful November and later backed nan AfD successful an sentiment portion he wrote for a awesome newspaper successful Germany.
Scholz, caput of nan Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), said successful comments published Saturday by nan German mag Stern that location is “nothing new” successful disapproval by “rich media entrepreneurs who do not admit societal antiauthoritarian authorities and do not clasp backmost pinch their opinions.”
“You person to enactment cool,” Scholz told Stern.
“I find it overmuch much worrying than specified insults that Musk is supporting a statement for illustration nan AfD, which is successful parts right-wing extremist, which preaches rapprochement pinch Putin’s Russia and wants to weaken transatlantic relations,” Scholz said.
The AfD is monitored by Germany’s home intelligence work connected suspicion of being right-wing extremist and has already been recognized arsenic such successful immoderate individual German states.
Germany will clasp an early parliamentary electionon Feb. 23 aft Scholz’s thee-party conjugation collapsed successful November successful a conflict complete really to revitalize nan country’s stagnant economy.
The vice chancellor and system minister, Robert Habeck, besides warned Musk against getting progressive successful Germany’s politics.
“Hands disconnected our democracy, Mr. Musk!” Habeck said successful an question and reply pinch nan Spiegel magazine.
“The operation of tremendous wealth, power complete accusation and networks, nan usage of artificial intelligence and nan willingness to disregard rules is simply a frontal onslaught connected our democracy,” said Habeck, nan Green Party’s campaigner for chancellor.
Musk precocious caused uproar aft backing nan AfD successful an sentiment piece for nan Welt americium Sonntag, starring to nan resignation of nan paper’s sentiment editor, Eva Marie Kogel, successful protest.
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“The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is nan past spark of dream for this country,” Musk wrote successful his translated commentary.
The Tesla Motors CEO besides wrote that his investment successful Germany gave him nan correct to remark connected nan country’s condition.
The AfD is polling strongly, but its campaigner for nan apical job, Alice Weidel, has nary realistic chance of becoming chancellor because different parties garbage to activity pinch nan far-right party.